Carbon Fiber, Ceramic and Titanium firearm frames?

This is a discussion on Carbon Fiber, Ceramic and Titanium firearm frames? within the General Firearm Discussion forums, part of the Related Topics category; After all those years... and more and more bicycle's fork & frames, Automobile/engine parts and other Hi-Tech items, we know that engineers can do almost ...

Carbon Fiber, Ceramic and Titanium firearm frames?

After all those years... and more and more bicycle's fork & frames, Automobile/engine parts and other Hi-Tech items, we know that engineers can do almost anything they want with exotic materials, but as technology has advance we also know that due to that changing technology, all judgment is only for "today". What should we expect beyond plastic vs aluminum vs metal alloy frames?

Here's the thing! Concealed carry demands smaller and lighter pistols. One shot shooters demand the largest caliber they can manage. And there's the rub. The lighter a gun is, the more recoil is felt and the harder it is to get follow up shots back on target. I've been carrying a S&W 342,Titanium, 38+P, 5-shot, hammerless revolver for many years. In pocket carry, you hardly know its there and it has the added benefit of not looking like I've got a lead zucchini in my pocket. Sounds good don't it? Trouble is every morning when I put my cargo shorts on and pick up my gun in its Galco Pocket Pro, I say a little prayer that I won't have to pull the trigger today. My arthritic hands might not be able to stand it. The good news is, the odds of me having to defend myself today are still in winning the lottery range. That's the silver lining!

The ideal metal for guns would probably be a beryllium alloy, but the cost (~$500/lb), difficulty of machining, and the toxicity of the material all make it improbable that it would be widely used in firearms, at least on the civilian market. It's possible for a person to be deathly allergic to it, too.

For plastics and composite fiber materials, the sky's the limit. Just depends on what they come up with to improve the adhesives, bonding agents, and reinforcing materials. Maybe a beryllium-fiber-reinforced tetrafluoroethylene polymer???

Regards,
Jim NRA Life MemberCharter Member (#00002) of the DC .41 LC Society - "Get Heeled! No, really!"He that cannot reason is a fool. He that will not is a bigot. He that dare not is a slave. - Andrew Carnegie

I'll stick with steel. I don't mind some recoil, but lighter doesn't necessarily mean better, IMO. The real innovation is caseless ammunition. It may not be as big a leap as the metallic cartridge, but its a big one.